It’s back to waitressing at Roomba for the Independent’s schoolteacher diarist. Meanwhile, the kids have hopes for connecting with their Woodbridge counterparts about slavery; and Jelisha makes Ms. Coggio’s day — twice.
Feb. 15, 2006
“Miss,” my student Jelisha blurts out in class. “There’s Ebola on General Hospital!”
I am in the middle of settling the class into their daily journal ritual so I’m focused on getting my kids quiet and concentrated on writing. Normally, I hush my students immediately during these first precious 15 minutes of class because I want their heads in the game, but today I can’t help but react to Jelisha’s comment.
“Are you kidding?” I ask her. “Ebola on General Hospital?”
I care about this because we’ve just finished reading The Hot Zone, the book dedicated entirely to the Ebola virus.
“No kidding, Miss. This guy on the show brought a monkey over from Africa and it infected the people in the hospital. Everyone’s dying. I was watching it with my mother and she didn’t know what the disease was, so I told her.” And then she tells me, “If I hadn’t read the book, I wouldn’t know what it is.”
Cha-ching!
Feb. 15, 2006
So the deal with being a teacher is this: it’s hard work for not a whole lot of money until after you’ve done some time in the field, so it’s often necessary to have another job — “especially when you’ve got student loans. And taxes.
That’s right. As much as I wanted to imagine a life on only my teacher’s salary, as hard as I tried for those months to make it happen, it didn’t; it can’t. I’m back at the restaurant — “the old place — “Roomba.
Last night was my first night back. For the most part, it was easy for me to fit right back in. It’s amazing to me how many actions become automated, how little thinking I had to do to get back into the groove. Not that I exactly found the groove I was in at the time I left, because last night proved I was definitely not IN the groove, but I’ll get there. I have to.
It is not easy having two jobs. I guess that’s a no-brainer for people who have two jobs; but I say that in defense of doing what you need to do to get by. I’m sure lots of people will criticize me for taking on this second gig — “I should be focusing on my primary job of teaching. I should be fulfilling my professional responsibilities as a teacher.
I know this already. Don’t say it. I know it. (Just like when I’m sunburned: Don’t tell me I’m sunburned. I know it already. It’s not a surprise.) On the one hand, I feel guilty about taking on a second demanding responsibility. On the other, I’m doing what I have to do to get by.
Feb. 16, 2006
The kids are still talking about the Amity High letters. They are eager to get a conversation going and they really want something big to happen. Since next week is break, I’m going to spend some time planning how to create a bigger project out of it. Dennis, the teachers here, and I are all excited to get something underway.
In the meantime, my student Jelisha wrote me a poem:
Ms. Coggio
M. is Marvelous
S. is Superb, Smart
C. is Creative
O. is Original
G. is Great Person
G. is Genius
I. is Inteligent
O. is Only the best teacher in the world.
I hung it up on the wall next to my desk with other pictures and writing students have given me. I use it for fuel and a smile when I see “inteligent.”
Also, my Bazooka Joe fortune confirms my student’s thoughts: “You have the ability to become outstanding in Literature.” This Bazooka Joe guy is good. He also told me I’d be rich and famous someday — ¬¶so things are looking up.